WASH-in-Schools Dominican Republic

WASH-in-Schools
Dominican Republic

The Timeline

The Program

Clean the World Foundation has formed a partnership with the local government and business leaders of the Bavaro-Higuey Intersectional Table to implement a nine-month WASH education pilot project in four primary schools within the Punta Cana- Bavaro area of the Dominican Republic. The program addresses the need for greater education regarding proper hand-washing practices and improved personal hygiene. The project will run in four primary schools throughout the 2019-2020 school year and extend to 4 new schools each school year for a total of five years.

The project consists of integrating key WASH education lessons and practices into the already existing learning environment. The first phase of the project includes educating the selected teachers using the same WASH curriculum intended for the students, with the second phase consisting of the teachers instructing their students on the curriculum on a weekly basis with the inclusion of volleyball lessons in an effort to link hygiene to sport, making it more fun to learn.

The Schools

The target of the WASH program is four primary schools, from different economically challenged areas of the Punta Cana – Bavaro area and with a combined target population of 2,000 students, 4 directors, and 36 teachers. The target schools are:

The Lessons

The Clean the World WASH-in-Schools curriculum workbook provided to each WASH teacher contains six key lessons. For the purposes of the teacher training we focused on the first five lessons; deciding to work on the sixth theme on an individual school level. The lesson topics are as follows:

Before WASH education lessons began in each school, a baseline survey was conducted to analyze and record the water, sanitation and hygiene conditions of each. This survey will become the base-point for evaluation surveys, conducted on a regular schedule to gage the effectiveness of the program as it relates to student absenteeism, WASH knowledge, behavioral and WASH facility changes. Each evaluation will be accompanied by impact statements and photos/videos.

The ultimate goal of the program is to improve the lives of students and their families by teaching the close connection between good health and good sanitation habits. The process of planning the training event and the subsequent project have already mobilized different sectors of the community to come together to join the discussion on how to improve sanitation and health. This is a big step in the right direction!